Cam Newton says the real wealth in the NFL wasn’t his signing bonus, it was seeing massive paychecks hit his account every week.
“My rookie contract was worth $22 million guaranteed, and at 20 years old that felt like more money than I could imagine.”
“After taxes, a $6 million signing bonus looks a lot different than people think.”
“It wasn’t the signing bonus that got me excited.”
“It was logging into my account every Tuesday and seeing that green number hit.”
“I was looking at around $732,000 every week.”
“I tell young guys not to get caught up trying to copy lifestyles they see online.”
“Commit to your craft.”
“Once you commit to something and become elite at it, the compensation will come.”
Imagine thinking that meeting Lamar Jackson in NYC would be the craziest part of your night and then you watch the Spurs blow a 29-point lead in the NBA Finals.
(via IG/lamarjacksonentertainment)
THROWBACK: When a #Panthers fan handed Cam Newton a massive 20-piece box of Bojangles fried chicken during practice.
So Newton gathered his fellow quarterbacks on the field, sat them down in a circle and hosted a picnic.
An all-time training camp moment.
Rob Gronkowski says he lived off $50,000 as an NFL rookie because he understood the NFL meant "Not For Long"
"My agent gave me a $50,000 advance for what's going to come in the marketing world for myself. I just had to pay him back within the first $50,000 I made"
"I was able to purchase my first car, which was a 2008 Escalade, and then to be able to pay rent once I got to New England. And then from there on out, I really didn't need any other money"
"I was getting free meals at the facility. I just kind of needed gas money. You go out, the drinks are free or you pay for one, you get 10 free when you're when you're on the Patriots up in the Boston area"
"So I wasn't really spending much money at all, especially when it got to the season. I mean, you're inside that building and everything's handed to you on a daily basis from breakfast all the way to dinner"
"I just lived off my marketing dollars. I was living a low-level life. I had a condo with a roommate that was on the team as well. We're paying $1,500 a month in rent while in the NFL"
"I was very frugal and that's how I got away with it. Not having any lavish purchases, the first couple years in the league and just banking away what I was making because I truly understood that the NFL stands for not for long"
Rob Gronkowski shares his advice for NFL rookies: You don't need a $200,000 car
“This is simple advice. You just need that $60,000 car. It's basically just as flashy. It's not going to make you more of a man or make you play better on the football field”
“If you start getting on that train right away and buying everything, all the jewelry, nice cars that depreciate in value the second you pull out of the lot, then guess what? You're going to want to live that life your whole entire time”
“Spend within your means and don't go overboard. You don't need everything flashy right away. Put it away because you never know when the NFL is going to be done with”
“If you put it away, you're set. You don't have to worry about anything. Even if you put $2 million away, you're set. It's fantastic”
The two Verne Lundquist calls engrained in my head (fortunate to witness both live on 📺 ) are the ‘05 Tiger chip on 16 at the Masters and the Vick run vs BC in ‘00 - often posted to Twitter, but hardly given its full coverage - “There is no way to defend that”